The Texans surely realized a disgruntled veteran of Reed's declining skill level and decorated resume would be a distraction on a team trying to pull itself out of the tailspin of a seven-game losing skid.

Reed's time in Houston never went smoothly. He showed up with a torn labrum in his hip that the Texans missed during their lengthy physical before signing him. Once he was healthy, his snaps were still limited. By now, the Texans have gotten to the point where they feel more comfortable starting Shiloh Keo at free safety than a future Hall of Famer.

Once [he passes through waivers], Reed will be able to sign with the team of his choosing. His experience may be worthwhile to squads in playoff contention, even if his performance on the field has diminished drastically. The Cowboys, Eagles and Patriots are just a few of the teams in the postseason mix with potential needs at safety.

It’s been a good year for Ed Reed. (Except for, you know, the hip surgery.) Reed won a Super Bowl with the Ravens. He went to the White House. President Obama mentioned Reed’s name, even though he was simply pointing out his gray hair. And Reed has now received $5 million for five total starts with the Texans.

The best defensive player of his era when it came to making plays on the ball, he had no interceptions, fumble recoveries or forced fumbles in his seven games this season. His impact on the defense was almost negligible … yet it was far from the most visible failure of the Texans’ skid, far behind the regression, injury and replacement of quarterback Matt Schaub.

* In an ESPN SportsNation poll, as of late Tuesday afternoon, 54 percent of voters said it was a “good move” for the Texans to release Reed. Seventy percent of voters said they would want their favorite team to sign Reed. And 60 percent of voters said they were not OK with athletes questioning their team’s coaching staff in public.